Hominy-mill.



No. seems. Patented Mar. 5, I901.

w. STONEBBAKEB.

H'OIINY IILL.

(Application filed Juno 24,}899.)

' (No Iodol.)

IN VE N TOR ATTORNEY.

STATES PATENT HOMiNY-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,188, dated March 5,1901.

Application filed June 24, 1899. Serial No. 721,798. (No model.)

T0 to 207mm, it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM STONEBRAKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hagerstown, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana,have invented new and useful Improvements in Homiuy-Mills,of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention has for its objects, first, provision for readily andeconomically renewing or sharpening the degerminating and decorticatingmembers of the cylinder; second, means for dividing and applyingair-currents to the products discharged from certain parts of theseparating-sieves, and, third, the continuous feed and gradual reductionand working of the stock from the feed end to the discharge end of thehulling and degerminating cylinder,which guarantees a regular and evenabsorption of power, so that the machine runs extremely steady ascompared with other hominy-mills.

A further object is the separating and grading of its products.

My invention is more fully described and pointed out in the followingspecification and claims and shown in the drawings, in which Figure 1 isa front elevation of my invention with certain parts broken away to showthe interior construction. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side view withbroken edge views of one of the spiral docorticating and degerminatingflights, which are in semicircular form. Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe decorticating-cylinder, showing the disposition of said flights.Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the vibrating riddleadapted to aid in grading the product coming from the decorticating orhulling chamber. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the fan-chamber on line 55 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 6 is the feed-chamber.

In the reference-letters here employed, (t represents the frame,of anysuitable con struction or form.

a is a cylindrical casing extending the entire length of theoperating-cylinder at its upper half, and sections a and a form thelower half of said casing and are suitably perforated,the former, a withsmaller perforations, permitting the discharge of the smaller reductionsof hulls and germs,the latter, a having perforations of suitable sizeand extent through which to discharge the entire larger and remainingproduct consisting of the larger hulled grain, the said casing formingthe hulling-chamber within which the degerminating and decorticatingcylinder 1) is rotated. 4

a is the feed-chamber, provided with a slide (0 by which the amount offeed admitted to the reduction-chamber is adj nsted.

01, represents openings protected by panes of glass, through which thepassing grain may be seen flowing to the hulling-ohamber.

a is a division-plate forming a chamber by which the grain is conductedto the lower part of the reduction-chamber, where is a small opening athrough said plate admitting the grain only at bottom of saidreduction-chamber, whereby excessive packing is prevented, so that thegrain being treated is not unduly heated and injured. As the grainnaturally flows through said opening a, it comes in contact with theflights of said cylinder and is conveyed thereby through said chamber.At a is also a division-plate provided with an opening a at lower pointand retards the product from passing too rapidly or irregularly from thedivision of fine perforations to that of the larger, whereby an evenreduction of the stock is maintained.

The hulling-cylinder h is provided its entire lengthwith a series ofsemicircular reduction blades or flights I), having in this case lugs oby which they are fastened to the cylinder b. Said flights are placed ina slightlyspiral position, so that they tend to convey the materialbeing operated upon away from the feed end and toward the discharge endat a The flight b is provided with a number of beveled knife-edgedplates 19 which are secured, preferably, in pairs to opposite sides ofsaid flights by small bolts and having their sharp edges placed outwardand forward toward the direction of motion, as shown, so that'in motionthey will have the effect of removing the hull and the germs from thegrain being acted upon.

At the forward end of flights b I have provided knife-edged blades 5which are adapted especially for the degerminating of the grain, theflights being so fixed on the cylinder b that those on one side of thecylinder are placed about midway between those on n HZ the oppositeside, so that the knife-edges on each flight may cut through a newstratum of material, whereby the best possible action on the stock issecured. 'lheblades or plates 11 and Zrall being detachable they mayreadily be removed and sharpened when worn and may also be madedonbleedged, so as to be reversible, and thus can also be readilyduplicated, whereby my mill may be renewed at small expense and in ashort time to its original efficiency when dulled from service.

c is a shakingriddle case, being provided with two riddles in this case,the upper at c, which separates the product dropping upon it from thereduction-case at M, separating therefrom the finer reductions or mealwhich,

falling on a bottom immediately beneath said riddle, is discharged at cand in this instance into the chamber h, into which also falls theproduct from casing 0, The larger or coarser part of the product flowingon the riddle c is conducted by proper guide -boards to and flowsthrough the opening a falling into the lower, riddle 0 whereby anotherseparation is made, the larger product being the hominy passing overlatter said sieve through discharge 0 while the finer product, passingthrough said riddle c falling on bottom next below this sieve, is byproper guide-boards conducted to discharge a, which is on opposite sidefrom said discharge c and is con-- ducted in separate streams, fallingupon suitable aprons provided therefor.

e is a fan supported and driven by the shaft of cylinder 1), extendingthrough and carried by an ordinary journal-box provided therefor, anordinary casing provided for said fan and a relief-opening and slide 6',and an airblast tube e extending downwardly and being divided into anumber of divisions 6 adapted to break up eddies of current which wouldotherwise result, by means of which said divisions I maintain even andsteady currents of air in each duct, said divisions extending around thebend in said air-tube e to the point e, where it is directedinto andthrough the falling streams of hominy coming from riddle c discharged,respectively, from discharges c the coarser and c the finer'gradeswhich, falling on the aprons e and e successively back and forth, arebrought or spread out into even streams and falling then evenly throughthe steady blast of air currents, whereby a separation of the coarsehulls or bran and finer meal which may have clung to the stock orfoundits way this far are separated therefrom,the coarser reductionsdropping on the inclined bottom 6 provided therefor, and beingdischarged at valves e the division of the two grades of material tothis point of final discharge from the. machine, the lighter portions ofthe reduction separated by said air-currents being carried over a ridgethrough the passage f, the heavier portion of this product fallingnaturally in the pocket f and the lighter being carried on into thesettling chamber 9, said heavier materials being discharged through thegravitysvalvef and the lighter through similar valve g. All the productcoming from the first reductions passing through the perforations in afalls into chamb.er h and is discharged at h, the apron 71 catching partof the product from a being attached to the riddle-case and operatedwith it discharges such part of this product also into the chamber h.Said riddle-case being hung at one end on spring blades or hangers c7and at the other at 61, attached to the rocking lever d, which is alever of the first class, having its pivotal point at d at the sides ofthe casing and having at lower end a connecting-rod (i attached thereto,and a crank or eccentric connection, as in this case, to an eccentric (1provided with a belt-pulley and a belt 61 transmitting motion from abeltpulley at d on the shaft of cylinder 1), also being provided with abelt-pulley b, by which the entire machine is driven.

I would have it understood that I do not hold myself to the exactarrangement and construction here shown, as a number of changes mayberesorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention,'and Ihold myself at liberty to make such altera tions as fall within thescope of my invention.

W hat I have shown and claim as my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

I. In a hominy-mil'l the combination with a rotating cylinder, a seriesof semicircular flights attached spirally thereto, detachableknife-edged plates secured to both sides of said flights, a knife-edgedblade or plate detachably secured to forwardend of said flights, acylinder-casing within which said cylinder is adapted to revolve,suitable perforations in lower half of said casing adapted to permit ofthe graded and continuous discharge of' the entire product and means forthe admission and regulation of a continuous feed to said hominy-mill.

2. In a hominy-mill, the combination with a rotating cylinder, a seriesof semicircular flights attached spirally thereto, detachableknife-edged blades or plates secured to both sides of said flights; aknife-edged blade or plate detachably secured to forward end of saidflights, a cylinder-casing within which said cylinder revolves,graduated perforations in lower half of said casing, the finerperforations being at the feed end of casing and the coarser at oppositeend thereof, providing a graded and continuous discharge of products ofreduction therefrom, a riddle, or sets of riddles adapted to separatesaid products of reduction, some of which flow directly to suitable binsprovided therefor, and some through a suitable aspiration-chamberwherethey aresubjected to suitable currents of air, a fan, providing saidair-currents, and means providing a regular and continuous feed as setforth.

3. In a hominy-mill the combination with a rotating cylinder, a seriesof semicircular flights attached thereto, detachable knifeedged platessecured to both sides of said flights, a knife-edged blade or platedetachably secured to forward end of said flights, a cylindrical casingwithin which said cylinder is adapted to revolve and suitableperforations in the lower half of said casing adapted to permit thedischarge of the entire prod- I0 not, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed myname in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM STONEBRAKER.

Witnesses:

W. D. HINDMAN, B. F. J EWETT.

